Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 14th Floor Shop.

A few days have passed since the disastrous re-opening of the high school Tatsuo was supposed to attend. And in that time, Tatsuo spent all his time training, climbing the Dungeon, and trying to combine the [Orc Lord Set] and the [Wraith Queen Set].

While he saw success in his training, creating a new spatial attack skill he named [spatial Rend], allowing him to shoot a blade of space attribute [Energy] along the trajectory of a slash, and he managed to clear the 14th Floor of the Dungeon. His attempts to combine the two Floor Master Sets ended in a resounding failure.

Because of those failures, Tatsuo was standing in front of the 14th Floor's Shop counter and asking Loretta for a favor.

"Loretta-Oneechan, do you think you could ask Lin to come here, please?" Tatsuo asked in the cutesiest tone he could muster. "I have a question about crafting, and I think he's the only one who can answer it."

Hearing the tone Tatsuo spoke to her in while looking at the pleading expression on his face, Loretta was unable to bear it. So, she quickly contacted Lin. And after Lin accepted the communication, she threatened that she would beat him up if he did not arrive at this instance of the 14th Floor's Floor Shop within ten minutes.

Seeing how ruthless Loretta had become just to fulfill his request made Tatsuo feel both touched and terrified in equal measure. However, since he really needed Lin's advice, he fought his instinctive urge to run away.

'Seriously, what's up with older women and wanting to be my older sister?' Tatsuo asked himself. 'First it was Kasumi-Neesan. But since she was adopted by Mom, she's fine. Then, there was Mai-Nee. And I really don't get her. She wants to marry me when I grow up, too. And now Loretta... I guess the little brother attack is just super-effective on her.'

Exactly nine minutes and forty-one seconds after Loretta made her threat, Lin walked through an invisible door, arriving at the 14th Floor's Floor Shop.

"Seriously, Ane ue. What could have been so important?" Lin asked as soon as he stepped into the Floor Shop. A moment later, he noticed Tatsuo, and could not help frowning slightly. "I see. Ane ue, this is the second time you asked me to come for this kid. Is there another crafting job he needs my help with or something?"

Though Lin was speaking in a rough manner, he had not forgotten the being who broke through his mental defenses and made him feel so insignificant from the last time he saw Tatsuo. So, he did not throw any insults or snide remarks in Tatsuo's direction.

"I'm not sure what he needs exactly." Loretta replied while shaking her head. "But he said it's a question about crafting. And you're the only one who can help him."

Reaching that point, Loretta narrowed her eyes while exuding killing intent.

"And you will help him." Loretta said in a cold, commanding tone. "Do I make myself clear?"

After feeling the power of the woman who threatened him last time, Lin did not start to shiver at Loretta's killing intent. Even so, that did not mean that he was not afraid for his life. So, he nodded his head quickly. Then, he turned his attention to Tatsuo, who was not wearing the modified [Orc Lord Set], but rather his original defensive gear.

"I think I have an idea of what you're gonna ask me about just by seeing what you're wearing." Lin said in a tired tone. "But just in case I'm wrong, why don't you ask me the question you need me to answer."

Instead of immediately responding, Tatsuo took out all the pieces of the modified [Orc Lord Set] and the [Wraith Queen Set] and laid them out on the floor of the Floor Shop.

"*Sigh* I thought so." Lin said as he looked down at the pieces of material laid out in front of him. "You were trying to combine the two sets into one, right? You probably wanted to be able to use both Floor Master Skills without having to change your equipment, right?"

In response, Tatsuo nodded his head.

"You know, back when I was climbing the Dungeon, I tried the same thing." Lin said while shaking his head. "But over the years, I came to understand that it's impossible. Because of the way they were made, the mana lines don't match at all."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too." Tatsuo replied in a slightly dejected tone. "Still, it didn't hurt to ask. Thanks, Lin-San. I appreciate you coming out here. *Sigh* This really was a waste of effort."

With that, Tatsuo began packing up the materials he laid out on the floor. Meanwhile, Lin was showing Loretta, who was glaring at him, a "what am I supposed to do" expression.

"Well, I guess I'll take tonight to finish the modifications to the [Wraith Queen Set] and put the [Orc Lord Set] back to how it was." Tatsuo said as he put away the last of the materials. "Then, after a good night's sleep, I'll challenge the Dark Ratman tomorrow."

With that said, Tatsuo turned to Loretta and Lin with a smile. Then, he waved his hand as he bid them goodbye.

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

Back in his bedroom of the apartment, Tatsuo quickly unequipped his Kevlar body suit. Then, he strode into his bathroom to take a shower to wash away the sweat and fatigue from climbing the Dungeon.

However, after finishing his shower, yet before he could start working on his gear, Tatsuo received a text message.

"Oh, it's from Sumire-San." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he looked at his smartphone. "It's been a while since she last contacted me. I guess she spent a while climbing the Dungeon. I wonder how much stronger she got."

Minami Sumire: Good evening, Tatsuo-Kun.

Minami Sumire: How have you been?"

Soramoto Tatsuo: Pretty good.

Soramoto Tatsuo: How about you? I haven't been able to get a hold of you for a while.

Minami Sumire: I've been alright. Just busy.

Soramoto Tatsuo: Glad to hear that.

Soramoto Tatsuo: I was afraid you got sick, or something.

Minami Sumire: Thanks for worrying about me. 😊

Minami Sumire: But seriously, I'm alright.

Soramoto Tatsuo: Okay.

Soramoto Tatsuo: Then, why don't we hang out some time soon?

Soramoto Tatsuo: It's been a while since we sparred, too.

Minami Sumire: Okay, sounds good to me. 😊

Minami Sumire: Then, how about tomorrow morning?

Minami Sumire: Oh, wait! You should have school tomorrow. Um...

Soramoto Tatsuo: Tomorrow is fine. But let's do it in the afternoon.

Soramoto Tatsuo: You don't need to worry about school. I'll be doing online classes until its repaired.

Minami Sumire: Huh?

Minami Sumire: Does that mean?

Minami Sumire: You go to the school that got attacked by all those big birds?

Soramoto Tatsuo: Yup.

Minami Sumire: OMG Are you okay?

Minami Sumire: You weren't hurt, were you?

Soramoto Tatsuo: Nah, I'm alright.

Soramoto Tatsuo: I didn't even show up until the whole thing was over with.

Minami Sumire: I'm relieved.

Minami Sumire: Okay, I'll be there tomorrow afternoon, around 1.

Minami Sumire: Is that okay?

Soramoto Tatsuo: That's fine with me.

Soramoto Tatsuo: See you tomorrow.

Minami Sumire: See you tomorrow.

Putting down his smartphone, Tatsuo could not help but smile. Despite the fact that he found it hard to get along with others thanks to his experience with DOATECH, he was looking forward to seeing Sumire, someone who was not looking to use him.

"Alright, I need to get at least the [Wraith Queen Set's] Modifications done tonight." Tatsuo said as he pulled out the materials and tools to craft the modified Floor Master Sets. "The [Vengeful Spirit's Wail] will come in handy against the ratmen. It will be much easier to get rid of the mobs if they start fighting each other thanks to confusion or frozen in fear."

With that, Tatsuo got to work right away. And he would forego any training for the evening, solely concentrating on getting the two Floor Master Sets modified.

A few hours before the sun rose, Tatsuo put down his tools. In front of him were a pair of body suits. The first, the [Orc Lord's Set], was made of shiny black leather, provided a 5 point increase to Strength and Constitution, and allowed him to use the [Orc Lord's War Cry] once per day.

The second was a two toned, black and white body suit that was made out of fabric that provided much better defense than anything that could be found on earth. On top of that, it provided a 5 point increase to both Magic and Charm while allowing the use of [Vengeful Spirit's Wail] once per day.

"Alright, if I'm quick, I can get the solo raid out of the way." Tatsuo said as he looked over the two modified Floor Master Sets with pride. "After that, I'll come back and get a few hours of sleep. Then, I'll hang out with Sumire-San for a while and do the other two raids right after she leaves."

With that, Tatsuo hurriedly put on the modified [Wraith Queen Set]. Then, he put the [Orc Lord Set] into his [Inventory] before entering the Dungeon.

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 15th Floor.

Entering [Stealth] as soon as he began his exploration, Tatsuo avoided battles with any of the ratmen. Instead, he ran directly to the Floor Master Room. Then, like always, as soon as he placed his hand on the door, a prompt asking if he would like to join a party appeared in front of him. And just like he had done with all his first boss raids, Tatsuo declined the request.

A moment later, Tatsuo pushed the door open. Then, he stepped into the Boss Room and looked at the horde of 3' tall ratmen surrounding a 6'6" tall, black-furred ratman that appeared to be their leader.

"Alright, let's get it." Tatsuo muttered as he readied his bladed knuckle dusters.

In the next instant, Tatsuo dashed forward into the horde of ratmen. Then, while using his entire body as a weapon, he methodically slew each of the normal ratmen, all while avoiding the boss monster, the Dark Ratman. Luckily, he had the [Blink] skill, otherwise, he might have been boxed in rather quickly.

Despite using the [Blink] skill rather skillfully, Tatsuo was eventually surrounded. Yet, he was not deterred. Instead, he glanced around at all the ratmen. Then, he raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Back the hell up you damn rodents!" Tatsuo shouted.

{You used [Vengeful Spirit's Wail]

-All enemies fall into confusion.

-All enemies fall into fear.}

In the next instant, all the ratmen, including the Dark Ratman, started acting differently. While some of them fell to the floor and cowered in fear, some began attacking the other nearby ratmen. And the Dark Ratman fell into the latter category, as well.

Watching the ratmen fall under the effects of [Vengeful Spirit's Wail], Tatsuo raised his arms in front of his chest and enveloped his bladed knuckle dusters in black-colored [Energy] with purple sparks emitting from it. Then, he swung his arms outwards, ejecting the [Energy] towards the ratmen that surrounded him.

"[Spatial Rend]." Tatsuo muttered.

A moment later, all the normal ratmen who were attacking the other ratmen were beheaded before turning into motes of mana. Meanwhile, the ratmen cowering on the floor were spared. As for the Dark Ratmen, it took some clear damage. However, it did not seem to be injured enough to affect its combat prowess by too much. On top of that, getting hit by the [Spatial Rend] seemed to have snapped it out of its confusion, as well.

"How dare you!" The Dark Ratman shouted angrily. "I'm gonna burn you up!"

Immediately after hearing that line, Tatsuo [Blinked] as far away from the Dark Ratman as he could. And that happened to be the right move, as the Dark Ratman released bolts of black lightning in all directions.

Based on what Tatsuo knew from the novel, those bolts of lightning were only the opening move to the Dark Ratman's most powerful attack, [Dark Thunder Explosion], that has enough power to wipe out an entire party if they are caught in it.

'Good, I evaded it.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'If I hadn't, I would have been paralyzed, leaving me wide open for the brunt of [Dark Thunder Explosion]. And I have no doubt that if I got hit by the whole thing, I would have had no choice but to come back next week to try again.'

"Kyahahaha! It's a festival of lightning!" The Dark Ratman shouted jubilantly.

Luckily, Tatsuo did not have to worry about scurrying about to avoid the [Dark Thunder Explosion], as the Dark Ratman seemed to become completely immobile while using it. So, he only had to wait until the waves of lightning came to an end. And that moment did not take too long.

Unfortunately, the ratmen who were still paralyzed by fear were not lucky enough to escape the Dark Ratman's attack. Instead, they were burned to a crisp by the [Dark Thunder Explosion] before breaking down into motes of mana.

While that was happening, Tatsuo readied himself to use [Spatial Slash]. However, he had no intention of just using it the way the Dungeon intended. Instead, he was pushing as much of his [Energy] into it as he could. As a result, the purple-tint to his layer of black [Energy] grew much more vibrant.

Then, as soon as the lightning arching off of the Dark Ratman ceased, Tatsuo dashed forward with his arms crossed in front of his chest. And as he entered the range of the Dark Ratman's flailing arms, he was forced to avoid a number of incoming blows.

However, as soon as he found an opening, Tatsuo swept his arms in opposite directions, with their intersection point being right at the Dark Ratman's neck. Then, without any added suspense, the Dark Ratman's head popped up into the air as a fountain of blood shot up from its neck.

A few seconds after the Dark Ratman died, an announcement accompanied by a fan fare rang in Tatsuo's ears.

{A grand achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, Dark Ratman, alone! Amazing!}

{You obtained the Title, "Dark Ratman Slayer." All Stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the Title is not equipped.}

{You defeated the Dark Ratman alone! You obtained the special reward, [Dark Ratman's Leather Jacket].}

{You obtained 5,000 Gold.}

{Choose your reward!

Return Magic Book}

*Sigh* I still wasn't the first." Tatsuo said while reading the announcements he just received. "According to the canon timeline, Kang Shin should only defeat the Dark Ratman alone a few days later. But I guess someone else got the solo clear on their first time for this boss already. OH well, at least I'll have the chance to see this world's main character during my Dark Ratman grind. I'm kinda looking forward to it."

With that said, Tatsuo reached into the reward window and pulled out the [Return Magic Book]. And as soon as he did, the magic book broke down into motes of mana and fused into his body.

{You learned the [Return] Skill.

-Using 80% of your remaining mana, you can teleport to any predetermined location.

-You can bring up to 2 people.

-You can only choose 2 locations at any given time. And you must have visited these locations before.

-You can only use this Skill twice a day.

-You can change these locations every 2 weeks.

-The number of locations and the number of times [Return] can be used will increase with Levels.

-You cannot bring non-Dungeon Explorers to the Dungeon.

-You cannot bring those from other worlds to your own.}

Smiling at the new skill, which seemed to fit well with his space attribute [Energy], Tatsuo unequipped his bladed knuckle dusters as he turned towards the door leading to the 15th Floor Shop.

"That actually ended earlier than I expected. So, I guess I'll go get a couple hours of sleep." Tatsuo said to himself in a cheerful tone. "Then, if there's enough time, I'll run the other two raids for today before Sumire-San comes over. And if I'm lucky, I might even be able to join Kang Shin's party for one, or both, of those raids, too."